Burlington Buddhist Sangha

The Buddha frequently urged his followers to contemplate daily the five Remembrances that he practiced in preparation for his ultimate awakening.  The first three may be familiar–but the last two are so radical that they have the power to startle us into attention no matter how long we have been practicing.

Sonia guided our investigation this week of these remembrances as laid out in the Upajjhatthana Sutta.  What do they ask of us?  And how can they move us to meet each day as a doorway to life authentically lived? 

Sonia played a talk by Narayan Helen Liebenson called “Reflections of the five recollections”, which you can hear at this link: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/70562.html

What does it mean to take refuge?  

When on retreat, we often take refuge in the Three Jewels on the first day, and in some cases, first thing each morning that follows.

But what does it mean to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in our everyday lives?  

Eric offered his understanding of this and invited us to contemplate and share our own.

Following the path of meditation from the initial stages to more advanced practice can be greatly aided by clear descriptions of how practice can change along the way.  Don utilized a dharma talk by Tina Rasmussen to share highly specific guidance on the techniques and markers of progress along the way.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/3815/

That each person has an inherent capacity for awakening, or an already awakened consciousness or Buddha Nature is at the heart of the teachings of Dōgen Zenji, the founder of Sōtō school of Zen.

Michael guided our exploration this week of some of the pathways by which Dōgen invites us to discover our own Buddha Nature right in the midst of ordinary life.

Michael read excerpts from the Genjo Koan (Genjōkōan), which you can read here.

Other translations include one by the San Francisco Zen Center or this more scholarly exploration of various translations.

Stilling the mind connects us to a tremendous sense of wellbeing.  This is not something we can do, but something we can allow and become. So the skillful question is:

Living in a world filled with distractions, busyness, to do lists, etc, what can we do to create the ease and environment to allow our minds to become more calm and unified?

Jackie guided our reflections this week, drawing on the reflections of Akincano Marc Weber.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/player/89557.html

Bringing awareness to our experience, we will eventually notice the motions of the mind that are known in Buddhist thought as the Five Hindrances. Desire and aversion, ill will, restlessness and worry, sloth and torpor, and doubt appear and disappear, mixing in a complex alchemy that can seem, at times, to take over our life.k

Fortunately for us, the teachings give us a collection of antidotes to make friends with these parts of human experience and transform them into skillful thoughts instead of letting them frustrate and cause us suffering.

This week, Payton returned to the basic teaching of the Five Hindrances and explored how we can recognize and transform them in the course of our days.

Payton played a talk by Kristina Bare which you can listen to here:

https://dharmaseed.org/talks/91300/

In times as edgy and dark as these might seem to many, Joy seems a remote  possibility.  But discovering Joy is an essential part of the Buddha’s teachings:  it’s even one of the Seven Factors of Awakening, not to be omitted, or even set aside as something shallow or less noble.

How might we cultivate joy, and taste its benefits?

Darryl framed our discussion today, drawing on excerpts from talks by Carol Wilson, and especially Jill Sheppard.

Carol Wilson https://dharmaseed.org/talks/1157/

Jill Shepherd https://dharmaseed.org/talks/90181/

The underlying method of Buddha’s teaching is one of cultivating conditions, rather than hoping for a miracle.  Even Awakening itself is a matter of causes and conditions, which means that it can be cultivated.  

The Seven Factors of Awakening, as we would suspect, begin with mindfulness, leading to exploration, energy, joy, tranquility, samadhi and finally equanimity.  Don led our discussion of this unfolding process this week, drawing on a talk by Jill Shepherd which follows the links among elements of this sequence and the ways the one gives rise to another.

You can listen to the talk here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/79704/

Do human needs undermine the Buddhist path, or provide the stone on which our practice is sharpened?

What does it mean to have needs as a human being on a path that seems always to teach letting go, non-attachment, and non-self?  

What does it mean to have dreams, aspirations, and deeply held values on this path?  What are needs, and how do we relate to them with wisdom in a world that is beyond our control?

Trina guided our exploration of these deep-reaching questions, drawing on Oren Jay Sofer’s explorations in a talk titled “The Deep Freedom of Human Needs.”

A link to the talk is forthcoming.

Ellen shared some thoughts and explorations of equanimity this week. It appears in the Brahma Viharas, the 7 factors of awakening and the 10 perfections/paramis. Equanimity has roles to play in our meditations and in our day to day lives. 

This exploration was be followed by a brief talk by Heather Martin introducing an equanimity meditation.

A link to the talk is forthcoming.